Where do almonds come from?
Almonds are seeds from the almond tree, mainly found in the Mediterranean and belongs to the group of stone fruit trees. Almonds are divided into two major species:
- sweet, usually for eating
- bitter, which have a very bitter flavour and are not edible, therefore used for making fragrances
How are almonds used?
Almonds are used very often in the kitchen. The shape depends on the purpose of use, they can be cut into flakes or pieces, ground into a paste, or in the form of an extract…
Why are they found in almost every kitchen?
There is a very good reason for them being used so often and being considered as one of the most valued nuts in the world. In addition to the excellent taste that almonds undoubtedly add, they also have other good properties, which benefit our health.
- Almonds are very rich source of vitamin E. Vitamin E protects us from diseases and slows down aging, as it is an excellent antioxidant.
- Almonds are a source of calcium. They are among the richest non-animal sources, so they are very popular in the vegan lifestyle.
- They help lower cholesterol levels. Many people do not know this, as almonds are known to be high in fat, but the type of fat they have is unsaturated, which has a different effect on our body than the other fats.
Almonds are an extremely rich food. They contain a lot of protein, fibre, potassium, calcium,… so they are also popular among athletes. Their use is common due to their sweet taste, anyway they contain a low amount of carbohydrates. So, almonds and almond cakes are a great choice to sweeten up, while still taking care of our health.
Ingredients for almond pastry
For the glaze:
- 1 teaspoon finely grated orange peel
- 3 spoons of fresh orange juice
- ¾ cup of ground coconut sugar and some more for decoration
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon of almond extract
Pastry ingredients:
- ¾ cup Greek yogurt
- 1½ cups of ground coconut sugar
- 4 big eggs
- 1½ cups of white flour
- ¾ cup of almond flour and not an almond meal
- ½ cup almond milk
- 1 tablespoon rice drink almond
- 3 teaspoons of baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon Himalayan salt
- 1 teaspoon of almond extract
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
- ¾ cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
Directions
1. For the almond pastry we use a cake model that is pre-lined with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius.
2. We will start by baking the almonds, which will serve as a decoration. Take the almonds and cut them in half. Place the slices in a baking pan so that one layer is formed. Be careful not to overlap the almonds. Place the pan in a preheated oven, bake for 15 minutes and mix every 5 minutes. Almonds are baked enough when they turn golden brown. Once baked, take them out of the oven and let them cool.
3. Next step is the glaze. Take an orange and finely grate its peel, then cut the orange in half and squeeze the orange juice. Take a small bowl and put orange peel, orange juice, coconut sugar, almond and vanilla extract in it. Mix everything together with a whisk until the glaze is completely smooth. Cover the bowl and let it stay.
4. Use a larger bowl to prepare the dough. Put the yogurt and the eggs in it and stir well. Then add flour, almond milk, almond flour, baking powder, vanilla and almond extract and finally Himalayan salt. Mix all the ingredients so that they are well combined. Add the melted coconut oil and mix again. At first, it will seem that the oil will not mix well with the dough, so we need to stir for about 2-3 minutes. This way, all the ingredients will mix well with each other.
5. Pour the prepared dough into the cake model. Make sure that the dough is evenly distributed so that the cake will be evenly baked on all sides. Bake the almond cake for 35-45 minutes. To check if the cake is baked, you can use a toothpick. Put it in the middle of the dough (the middle part needs the longest time to bake). If there are no traces of dough on the toothpick when we take it out of the cake, then the cake is nicely baked.
6. Take the almond cake out of the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes. Then prepare a plate on which you will serve the cake. Turn the pastry from the cake model on the plate. Next step is to glaze the pastry. Please note that the cake must still be warm. Take a pastry brush and gently glaze the entire almond pastry with the previously prepared glaze. Do this until the glaze is completely absorbed into the dough.
7. The last step is decorating the pastry. Do this when the cake is still moistened from the glaze so that the almonds stick to it. Sprinkle the roasted almonds over the glaze and leave it all together to cool. Finally, sprinkle the almond cake with powdered sugar and our wonderful dessert is ready.
